Folding armchair



Sept. 4, 1951l R. L. JENSEN FOLDING ARMCHAIR Filed April 14, 1948v 5 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 4, 1951 R. L. JENSEN 2,567,111

FOLDING ARMCHAIR Filed April 14, 1948 5 Sheets-Shee't 2 lum* ,dnl 28 Sept. 4, 1951 R. JENSEN 2,557,111

FOLDING ARMCHAIR Filed April 14, 1948 S sheets-sheet 5 4M null l Patented Sept. 4, 1951 FOLDING ARMCHAIR Ralph L. Jensen, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Warwal Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corpora.-

tion of Illinois Application April 14, 1948, Serial No. 20,960

Claims. 1

stered yseats and backs, and it is highly desirable that they be folded so that they may occupy less space, not only while in transit, but also for storage purposes.

An important object of `the rpresent invention is to provide a novel form of folding construction for an upholstered type of armchair.

Another object of the invention lis to provide a novel leg structure for anvarmch'air which may be easily folded to a collapsed position for storage purposes.

A further object of the invention is Ato provide a folding armchair wherein 'the upholstered back thereof may be folded downwardly onto the seat portion at the same rtime the legs are folded or collapsed, whereby the chair may occupy 1less space for storage Aor transit purposes.

Still another object ofthe invention Ais to provide a novel form of folding leg structure for chairs wherein the leg structure willv be normally located in supporting position, and wherein a release of the locking means will vpermitthe legs to be collapsed.

A still further 'object of the invention is to provide a novel form of .folding armchair wherein the back portion is adapted to be pivotally mounted 'so that it may be folded downwardly against the seat portion but may 'be locked in a substantially upright 'position for use. The folding leg structure is also adapted to be locked in supporting position, but may be released for purposes of collapsing the legs. There is also provided an inter-connection between the .locking means for the back and the locking means for 'the leg structure vso that a release o'f one may Aalso yact to release the other.

Still `another object of the invention is to v.provide a novel form of inter-connecting means beween the back and the legs of a folding chair so that when the back is folded downwardly onto the seat, this movement will Ialso cause a folding or collapsing of the leg structure.

Other yobjects Vand advantages of the invention will appear lmore fully hereinafter upon reading the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational View of a chair in accordance with the present in- Vention.

Fig. 2 is an under plan View of the chair taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a detail taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the chair in its folded or collapsed position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary under plan view of the chair in its collapsed position as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View through a detail of construction at the rear of the chair showing the locking and releasing means for the back member.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the chair.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the leg structure, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary exploded view of the leg structure and the base portion of the chair.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figs. 1 and 2, the chair of the present invention includes a main base or seat vsupporting part which is generally indicated by the numeral 1. This base portion includes a frame having a front cross member 2, rear cross member 3, and connecting side members li and 5. The rear corners of this frame have upwardly extending portions 6. Similar upwardly extending portions 1 are positioned adjacent to front of the frame at each side thereof. These vupwardly extending parts 6 and 'I at each side of the chair are connected together by a member 8 which may, if desired, be upholstered or padded as :at 9 to thereby provide an arm for the chair..

An upholstered seat portion I) is adapted 'to be removably supported by the main frame or base I A and a back II which may also be upholstered, if desired, is mounted for pivotal movement between the arms by means of .the pvotpins I2. It will thus be evident that the back 'I I may be pivoted about the pins I2 from the substantially upright position thereof shown in Fig. l tothe collapsed position thereof shown in Fig. 4.

The leg structure which supports the seat and which is adapted to be folded or collapsed is more clearly shown in Fig. 8 and includes the spaced front legs I3 and spaced rear legs I4. 'The upper ends of the front legs vI3 turn inwardly toward each other as shown at I5., and .are provided with offset portions or blocks I6 formed integrally therewith or mounted rigidly thereon. A connecting cross member Il is rigidly secured .to the oiset blocks I6 to thereby complete the front the legs.

leg section. Each end of the cross member I 1 is provided with an outwardly extending pivot pin I8 for the purpose of pivotally mounting the frame on the main seat portion as will be more clearly pointed out hereinafter.

The rear leg structure is similar in all respects to that just described with respect to the front leg structure wherein the rear legs I4 have the inwardly extending portion I9 -at their upper ends provided with the offset blocks 20. A similar cross member 2l connects these blocks 20 and also has the pivot pins 22 extending outwardly from each end thereof.

A connecting link in the form of an angle member 23 is pivotally secured to the front and rear leg sections by means of an angularly disposed arm 24 at the rear and a similar arm 25 at the front. The arm 24 is secured to the'cross member 2l and the arm 25 is secured to the cross member I1. Each arm is pivotally secured to the connecting link or angle member 23. Itwill therefore be evident that if the connecting member 23 is caused to move longitudinally, it will thereby rotate the two cross members I1 and 2l through an angle ofsubstantially 90, and will likewise rotate the legs I3 and I4 through a similar angle.

All of the legs are connected together at their lower ends by means of a connecting frame 26. This frame includes side members 21 and connecting braces or cross members 28. The front and rear ends of the side members 21 have short outwardly extending portions 29, each of which is pivotally connected to the bottom of one of When a longitudinal movement of the member 23 occurs, then the legs will be caused to fold against this supporting base 26.

Each of the sides 4=and 5 of the seat frame has a small ear 30 secured thereto having an opening 3l therein for the purpose of receiving the pivot pins I8 and 22 of the leg structure. The leg structure being thus pivotally mounted to the seat frame will support the seat, and will also permit the -leg structure to be folded about the pivot points when the chair is to be collapsed.

rThe back member II is provided with a hook portion 32 at its forward side and near the bottom thereof which acts in conjunction .with a locking means for releasably holding the back in a substantially upright position when the chair is in use. This hook member 32 cooperates with a locking means which includes a bracket 33 secured to the rear cross member 3 of the seat frame and intermediate the ends thereof. The upper and lower ends of the bracket 33 have inwardly turned flanges 34 having openings therethrough for the purpose of slidably mounting a rod 35. The bottom 36 of rod 35 is enlarged so as to form a shoulder adapted to come against the under side of the lower flange 34 and thereby limit the upward sliding movement of the rod 35. The rod 35 is provided with a pin 31 located between the two flanges 34 and has a coiled compression spring which surrounds the rod 35 and bears at one end against the pin 31. The other end of the spring 38 bears against the lower flange 34 whereby the rod 35 is normally urged in an upward direction. It will be noted that the upper end of rod 35 is tapered so that when the back II is being returned to its upright position after having been folded downwardly, the forward edge of the hook 32 will slide over the end of rod 35 and depress it against the spring which will return the rod to its upper position. After the forward end of the hook has passed the upper end of the rod, this 4 construction will permit the back to be maintained normally in a substantially upright position and will be released, so that the back can be pivoted and folded downwardly against the seat. The lower enlarged portion 36 of the rod 35 has an opening therethrough to permit the rod 38a to be slidably mounted therein. The rear end of rod 38a is provided with a handle 39 of any suitable form so that it may be grasped and pulled downwardly. When the rod is thus pulled downwardly, it will lower the rod 35 against the spring 38 and release the back so that it may be folded downwardly against the seat. The foregoing construction is more clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Reference will now be madev more particularly to Figs. 2 and 5 where the construction of the various parts below the seat are more clearly shown. It will there be seen that the rod 38a extends forwardly for a considerable distance and terminates in a substantially fiat portion which has a pivot pin 48 therein. This pivot pin 4D is adapted to traverse slots 4I and 42 located in the ends of links 43 and 44 respectively. The link 43 is pivotally mounted to an inwardly extending ear 45 secured to the side member 5 of the seat frame. The link 44 is similarly pivotally mounted to an ear 46 also secured to the opposite side 4 of the seat frame. It will be evident that when the handle 39 is grasped and moved downwardly to remove the locking means of the back II, the rod 38a may then be moved ltoward the rear ofY the chair and rotate the links 43 and 44 about their respective pivotal points, so that these links will -move toward the rear of the chair.

Each of the links 43 and 44 has a forwardly extending smaller link 41 pivotally mounted thereon adjacent each side of the seat frame. The forward end of each link 41 pivotally supports a pin 48. Each pin 48 is guided by means of a guide block 49 .also mounted on each of the side members 4 and 5 of the seat frame. Each guide member 49 has an opening therethrough in which the pin 48 is adapted to slide. The forward end of each pin 48 is adapted to be received within an opening through a block connected to the part I5 of each of the front legs I3. When the pins 48 are in place as shown in Fig. 2, they act as locking means to prevent the leg structure from being folded or collapsed. Rearward movement of the link 38a will retract the Ypins 48 and remove them from locking position tothe released position as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the leg structure will be free to pivot about the respective pivot points I8 and 22 for the purpose of collapsing the leg structure. I The leg structure is additionally held in its normal supporting position by means cf a coiled spring 5G. One end of this spring58 may be secured to a plate 5I secured to the angle member 23, and the other end of the spring may be secured to an inwardly extending plate 52 secured to the side 5 of the seat frame. It was stated above that the rearward longitudinal movement of the angle member or connecting link 23 would rotate the arms 24 and 25 to fold the legs and collapse the chair. This cannot be done as long as the pins 48 are in their locking position shown in Fig. 2. These pins 48 must rst be moved to their position shown in Fig. 5. When this occurs, the leg structure will not immediately collapse but will require some force, due to the spring 58 which normally urges the connecting angleV 23 in a. forward direction.

The structure which actually causes the folding or collapsing of the chair and leg structure includes a link 53 pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the plate 52 and which is provided with a pivot pin 54 at its opposite end. The pivot pin 54 may, if desired, be formed integrally with a rearwardly extending rod 55. The rear end of rod 55 is turned inwardly and is received within 1an opening in a bracket 56 mounted near the lower edge of the back-II. The link 53' has an elongated -slot 51 intermediate the ends thereof and adjacent the connecting angle 23. The angle I23 has an outwardly extending pin 58 which is received within this slot 51.

The operation of the manner in which the chair is folded, after the various locking means for the back and leg structure have been released, merely consists in folding the back II forwardly about its pivotal point I2. This movement of the back will cause a rearward movement of the link 55 which in turn causes the link 53 to rotate about its pivot. When the link 53 is thus moved rearwardly, the p-in and slot connection with the connecting angle 23 will force the angle to be moved rearw-ardly. When the angle is thus moved rearwardly, the connecting cross pieces I1 and 2l connecting the front and rear legs will be pivoted about their pivotal points I8 and 22 to move the legs I3 and I4 upwardly through an arc of substantially 90. moved to its collapsed position as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be evident that this folding of the chair cannot take place until the rod 38a has been first moved downwardly to release the back and then to move rearwardly to release the locking pins 48 which hold the legs in supporting position. After this has been done, the back I I is then pivoted downwardly against the seat, and this movement simultaneously causes a folding of the leg structure. It will also be clear that the connecting link between the back and leg structure will simplify the process of collapsing the chair, which process is thereby performed in one operation instead of\several. The leg structure is such that all of the legs are folded at one time, rather than individually, and a single locking structure may be utilized for maintaining al1 of the legs in their supporting position. It is not necessary for each of the legs to be locked individually. The foregoing construction enables an upholstered armchair to be easily folded into a small and compact space, either for storage or during transportation thereof, and the structure will enable the chair to be set up for use with a minimum of effort and within a short period of time.

Changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of parts from that disclosed herein without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacrificing any of the attendant advantages thereof, provided, however, that such changes fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A folding chair of the class described comprising a seat frame, a back member pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to substantially upright position and to collapsed position, releasable back locking means to lock said back member in upright position, supporting legs pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to collapsed position, leg locking means for releasably locking said legs in supporting position, and common means operable to release said leg and back locking means.

The chair will thus be 2. A folding chair of the class described coni-` prising a seat frame, a back member pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to substan-v tially upright position and to collapsed position, releasable locking means to lock said back member in upright position, supporting legs pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to collapsed position, means for releasably locking said legs in supporting position, and interconnected means for actuating and releasing both of said looking` means.

3. A folding chair of the class described comprising a seat frame, a back member pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to substantially upright position and to collapsed position, a supporting leg framework pivotally mounted on said seat frame and including rotatable bars connected thereto, rotation of said bars adapted to move said leg framework to collapsed posiVd tion, and means connecting said back memberV with said bars, whereby movement of said back member to collapsed position will also collapse said leg framework.

4. A folding chair of the class described com-'- prising a seat frame, a back member pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to substan-'l tially uprightv position and to collapsed position, a spring actuated locking means for locking said. back member in upright position on the frame supporting legs pivotally mounted on said frame for movement between extended and collapsed position, leg locking means for releasably securing said legs in extended position, and releasing means operable in one direction to release saidv spring actuated locking means to permit said'. back member to be collapsed, said releasing means being also operable in another direction to release said leg locking means.

5. A folding chair of the class described com-l prising a seat frame, a back member pivotally mounted on said frame and movable to substan tially upright position and to collapsed positionr a spring actuated locking member on said frame, hook means on said back member adapted to cooperate with said locking member to lock said back member in upright position, a supporting leg structure pivotally mounted on said seat frame and movable to collapsed position, releasable locking means for locking said leg structure in supporting position, and means for moving said locking member to release posit-ion to permit said back member to be collapsed, said last named means also operable to release said locking means for said leg structure.

6. A folding leg structure for an article of furniture having a main frame, comprising a pair of spaced bars rotatably mounted on the main frame and respectively carrying a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a link connecting said rotatably mounted bars, and means to move said link longitudinally of said frame to r-otate said bars and the legs connected thereto between extended and collapsed positions on the frame.

7. A folding leg structure for an article of furnture having a main frame, comprising a pair of spaced bars rotatably mounted on the main frame and respectively carrying a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a link connecting said rotatably mounted bars, and a lever pivoted on said frame and drivingly connected to move said link with respect to the frame, whereby to turn said bars and the legs connected thereon between extended and collapsed positions on the frame.

. A folding leg structure for an article of fur-` niture having a main frame, comprising a pair of spaced bars rotatably mounted on the main frame and respectively carrying a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a link connecting said rotatably mounted bars, a supporting frame on which said legs are pivotally secured, and means to move said link longitudinally with respect to said frame to turn said bars and the legs connected therewith between extended and collapsed positions with respect to said main and supporting frames.

9. A folding leg structure for an article of furniture having a main frame, comprising a pair of spaced bars rotatably mounted on the main frame and respectively carrying a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a link connecting said rotatably mounted bars, resilient means normally urging said link in a direction with respect to said frame to urge said bars and the legs connected thereto toward collapsed position on the frame, and releasable latch means operable to secure said bars and connected legs in extended position on the frame against the iniiuence of said resilient means.

10. A folding leg structure for an article of furniture having a main frame and a back element pivotally mounted on said frame for movement between folded and extended positionnemprising a pair of spaced 'bars rotatably mounted on the main frame and respectively carrying a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a link connecting said rotatably mounted bars, and means drivingly connecting said link with said back element for longitudinally moving said link on said frame, whereby to swing said bars and connected legs between extended and collapsed positions on theframe in unison with movement of Ysaid back element on the frame.

RALPH L. JENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED Y*The* following references are of record in the le of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France ---l June 27, 1928 

